Freak like me
by cassfear84
Summary: "I'm on a mission. I gave my life to save Steve's and I'm not going to sit back and watch him become a murderous monster".Darren Shan has only one thing on his mind: saving his best friend, Steve. Rated T for language. HUGE SPOILER ALERT
1. Prologue

"Freak like me" Prologue

Hi there. My name is Darren Shan and I'm a freak. I know what you're thinking. Everyone thinks they're weird some time. But no, that's not the case. I'm an actual freak. A Vampire's assistant, really. That means I'm on my way to becoming a real vampire. Yep, in about a year, I'll be graduating from Vamp University. That's not a real university, I just like referring to my training like that. Hey, what do you want from me? I told you I'm a freak!

How did I _become_ a freak? Well, that's a pretty long story and I don't have all day. Larten's waiting for me just outside the camp. But I guess I can give you a super-summarized version.

Basically, about a year ago, I made a stupid decision that almost killed my best friend. Yeah, I stole a vampire's spider. My friend Steve and I went to this freak show, and that's when I met her, Octa, the most beautiful poisonous spider I could have ever laid my eyes on. She was the size of a grown man's hand, blue and red, with the cutest furry legs. I love Octa. I've been obssessed with spiders since, like, forever. Just like Steve had always been obssessed with vampires. So much, that he wanted to become one.

The thing is, Larten Crepsley's spider actually bit Steve and he ended up in hospital, in critical state. So I begged Larten to give him an antidote. And he did, he just asked me to become his "assistant" in exchange. And I accepted in a heartbeat. I'd do anything for Steve. And it worked, Larten turned me into his assistant and Steve recovered just fine. Only, now that I was a half-vampire, I had to leave before I hurt anyone. So we faked my death (well, Larten did break my neck) and I went to live at the freak camp.

I wish that's where the story ended. I wish Steve had recovered, mourned my death, and gone on with his life. But life is never that simple, and the Vampaneze (oh, you'll hear about them later) convinced Steve to join them.

So now, we're like enemies. Cause Vampires and Vampaneze don't get along, trust me. So because Larten killed a Vampaneze to save me (yeah, he won't admit it, but he's fond of me), a war started and guess what? It will only end when one leader is dead. And Steve is one of them. I don't know who the other leader is, but I'm guessing it's Larten.

That's not even important. What matters is that I'm on a mission. I gave my life to save Steve's and I'm not going to sit back and watch him become a murderous monster. I'm going to do everything in my power to get him back, to get my friend back, to see him happy and at peace.

In the meantime, I'm still training with Larten, I hang out with my friend Evra and my girlfriend Rebecca and keep my mind focused on my goal: Steve.

Welcome to my after-life.


	2. Chapter 1

"Freak like me" Chapter 1

It's 7 pm and I'm on my way to meet Larten, my mentor, to resume my training for the day. Tonight's lesson: flitting. That's running so fast you can be across the state in minutes. It's so cool! I think that's the coolest trait vampires and vampaneze have. I just love it.

Larten is waiting for me beside a tree and as I approach him I see he's grinning. That's never good. I'm one step away from him, when he flits and he's on the other side of the field.

"Too slow, kid" he calls.

I shake my head and run towards him. I'm fast, but it's still not flitting. He stops me mid-run and unfreezes me with a snap of his fingers.

"What are yoy thinking?" he askes, pacing around me, hands clasped behind his back.

"About running?" I answer hesitantly. I can just tell he's going somewhere.

I can also tell I gave the wrong answer.

He shakes his head. "You're not supposed to be thinking about what your're doing"

"What then?"

He throws an ice glare at me for interrupting him. By now, I should know better. He takes his time, but he always explains. I just can't help being an impatient brat. He makes sure to remind me of that. I don't mind though, cause I know he cares about me. Or that's what Madame Truska tells me.

Larten continues to pace pensively, staring at the ground. I'm starting to get impatient again, but this time I just put up with it. The last thing I want is an encounter with the back of a vampire's hand.

"The only thing that should be on your mind, is your destination" he finally says, and looks up at me.

I nod and take a deep breath. I close my eyes and then I'm running. And this time it's different, I can tell by the way the air feels against my skin. I try to focus my eyes on my surroundings, but everything's gone faster than I can look and I'm just running blindly. It's fun and exhilarating, my heart's beating a thousand times faster than usual, my hair's wild in the wind, my eyes are blind with tears from the force of the air hitting against my face.

And before I notice, something hard is hitting against my face. I fall back forcefully, everything's spinning and it's difficult for me to hear. But even in my confused state I can make out my mentor's laughter.

When I can finally focus my eyes and breathe again, I see him clutching at his chest with one hand, the other hand supporting him against a tree, face completely red and his mouth open so wide I think his jaw might crack.

"Ahhahahaha... oh, kid, that was hillarious haha" he's still gasping for breath, unable to let go of the tree trunk.

I scoff and stand up, totally embarrased and a bit pissed that he finds my misfortune so entertaining.

"Oh, lord, I haven't laughed that hard in decades" he sighs, and wipes at his eyes.

I continue to glare at him but it's pointless. He's completely absorbed in his enjoyment. I prove at his mind to see what I did wrong, but even in his thoughts he's laughing his ass off.

"Watch your language, assistant" he manages to gasp out between chokes of laughter.

I decide that I'm not going to just stand there and wait until he gets it together, so I walk away and sit under a tree. I hate it when he does that. He's always making fun of my mistakes. I bet he screwed up a lot when he was an assistant, and now he's just taking it out on me.

"I told you to watch your language" he says, standing over me like a shadow.

"Are you done now?" I ask, irritation evident in my voice.

Larten grins and motions for me to stand up. He doesn't like me moping around.

"OK. Let's see. What went wrong?"

"You tell me! I did exactly as you said!" I reply defensively.

My mentor shakes his head and grins again.

"Just because you need to think of your destination, it doesn't mean you should compeltely disregard your surroundings"

"I tried to see where I was going, but I just couldn't focus on anything. Things just went flying by me" I protest.

I know I sound like an annoying little kid, but I just rammed my head against a tree!

"So you need to look ahead of you, not behind you, kid"

Oh. That actually makes sense. Instead of trying to focus on what I've already passed by, I should be paying attention to what's coming. I can do that... I think.

Larten nods and stands back. "Are you ready to try it again?"

I don't answer. I just start running. This time, it's different. The sensation isn't new, so I can fully focus on what's ahead of me. I manage to avoid trees as I zig-zag through the forest. I don't think I'm going to get anywhere conciously yet, but it's a start.

By the time I finish flitting, Larten's ready to go back to camp. We take the usual route, and he takes a detour, taking the highway instead of going through the forest. I look at him in question and he shrugs.

"You need to feed. That's a lot of energy you spent"

He stops abruptly and points across the road. There's a car stopped with the hood popped and a woman leaning against the side. She looks like my mum, kind of chubby, wearing a long dress that does nothing to favor her, long blond hair tied in a pony tail. I sniff at the air. She smells nice.

Larten nudges me on the ribs and I flit to the car. One puff of breath and the woman is limp in my arms. That's another neat trick. I call it the "snooze". All I have to do is exhale near a human, and it sedates them. Then I can feed quietly and they don't freak out. I take the blood I need and lay her in the back seat of the car.

"Well done. I see you've mastered feeding" Larten says, and takes his turn with her.


	3. Chapter 2

"Freak like me" Chapter 2

The next morning, I awake to complete silence. Strange, it's never silent in the camp.

I turn in my bed and look at Evra, the snake boy, who is sound asleep with Sippo, his pet snake, curled at his feet. I wonder what time it is. Maybe it's still night time? But still, there should be some noise. Twobellies wakes up earlier than anyone and Mr Tall doesn't even sleep. Something's wrong. I can feel it.

I lift the sheets carefully, not wanting to make even the slightest noise. It's not that I don't want to wake my tent-mate. If something's really wrong, I don't want to be noticed. Being a half-vampire makes that a lot easier for me than for Crepsley. I can walk out in the day light, Vampaneze cannot smell me and, in general, I look pretty normal. Add to that my new found super speed, bad-ass spit and the snooze. I'm a freaking cool dude!

But enough about me.

As I approach the exit of the tent, something makes my skin crawl. It's like I know that whatever's out there is evil. I can't hear a sound, I sniff at the air and there's nothing. I should be able to smell _something_. Alexander Ribs' food decomposing on his sides, Wolfman, _something_.

I'm about to peek outside when I see a shadow move just outside my tent. And this time, it reeks of decomposing corpse. That can only mean one thing.

"Surprise" yells Murlaugh as he grabs my neck in a deadly lock.

He lifts me off the ground and takes me outside. He's smiling, and it's a horrifying sight. The few teeth he has are stained with fresh blood and my heart flies to my throat as I take in the sight of the camp.

Scattered across the field are the bodies of my friends. Corma's been staked through the heart, Alexander's been cut in half, his torso lying near Corma, his legs hanging from a tree. Under that same tree, my worst nightmare. Rebecca, _my_ monkey girl, is lying limp, throat ripped open, a pool of blood under her body.

I can hardly breathe. I close my eyes and try to focus. Murlaugh's grip on my throat is chocking me, and my heart is breaking into a million pieces. _This isn't happening, this isn't happening_, I repeat in my mind.

But it is, and I have to do something. I open my eyes and Murlaugh is gone. Standing in his palce, fire in his eyes, holding me with the same unnatural strength, is my former best friend.

"Surprise" he sneers, and I see his razor sharp nails ready to plunge.

"Darren!"

_Shit_. I wake with a start and am delighted to see Corma, Rebecca, Alexander and Mr Tall leaning over me, concern in their eyes.

"Are you OK, man?" alexander asks, helping me sit up "What the hell were you dreaming that made you scream like that?"

I take in a shaky breath and smile weakly. _It was a dream, it was just a dream_.

"Umm... nightmare" I manage to rasp out.

"OK" Corma seems to sense that I don't want to talk about it and she ushers everyone, except for Rebecca, out of the tent. I glance over at Evra. He's still sleeping. _Figures..._

"Hey" Rebecca sits on my bed and brushes a lock of hair behind my ear. Her tail is rubbing soothing circles up and down my leg and I can't help but let a tear fall.

I know what you're thinking. Yes, my girlfriend has a tail. I told you she's the monkey girl. And before you get all grossed out, let me tell you this: that tail of hers is really talented, if you know what I mean.

"How are you feeling?" she asks, her voice soft and sweet.

I love her. I haven't told her yet, although I should. Especially after that nightmare I had. We've been going out for almost a year (our first anniversary is next week, actually) but I just don't have the guts. I know I'll do it soon though. Maybe on our anniversary date. That would be special.

I realise she's waiting for an answer, so I just lean down and kiss her. Her lips taste like chocolate and it makes my mind swirl. Her tail starts travelling further up my leg and I can feel myself getting excited. I circle my arms around her waist and pull her flush against me. I just love the way she makes me feel. Like I'm not completely dead.

"Hey! Stop that! I do _not_ want to witness another lvoe session between you two. _Gross_"

And Evra is up. _Great_.

Rebecca laughs softly and stands up. She looks adorable with her lips swollen like that.

"I'll go save you a plate before Twobellies gets up" she says and practically dances out of the tent.

I plop back down on my bed and run a hand through my hair. That dream was so intense, I'm not compeltely sure it was a dream. I may have to ask Larten about it later. I know we have a big night ahead of us, and I don't think I can wait until the sun comes down. I may wake him a little earlier and stay underground with him until it's time to come out. I'm really tense right now.

"Seriously, dude. You have _got_ to learn restraint. _Damn_"

I laugh to myself as Evra leaves the tent, still cursing me under his breath. He's just jealous cause he doesn't have a girlfriend. Poor Evra. I think sometimes he really hates me. I'm a freak but at least I don't have scales covering my skin. I can actually make out with a girl without grossing her out.

Evra spends most of his time with Sippo. That snake is like a little brother to him. Kind of like what Octa means to me. And he acts all nonchalant and aloof, but I think he's just dying to get some contact. I'll talk to Corma. Maybe we can figure something out, find a nice freak for him.

Anyway, it's getting late and I can smell some nice food being cooked outside. Fortunately, being a half-vampire means I still get to eat real food, even though I need blood from time to time.

I get dressed quickly and step outside. I can't tell you how relieved I am to find everyone bustling around, rather than bleeding on the floor.


	4. Chapter 3

"Freak like me" CHAPTER 3

It's been a week since I had my nightmare. Larten says that it probably doesn't mean anything. And no, vampires have many talents, but forebodings are not among them. That'd be Madame Truska's thing. And trust me, you don't want to be stealing the bearded lady's talent. So instead of insisting on that, here I am now, outside said lady's chambers, hoping she might be able to tell me something more accurate than "Stop being such a wimp. Of course you have nightmares when you mix blood and alcohol!" Yeah, Larten's a real sweetheart.

Anyway, she knows I'm waiting for her. She asked me to wait outside because she needed to cleanse the aura in her foreboding room – or whatever that's called, I don't really know – before trying to read an un-dead's future. At least that's what I think she said. It's hard for me to understand her. I'm really not listening half the time since she has a rack to be beckoned with and I'm a hormonal teen, and also when I _am_ listening, I can hardly get past her accent. She's easy to get when she's having a premonition, because she uses plain words and she loses the accent. Every other time, good luck. Luckily for me, Larten tends to repeat everything for me via vamp-connection (that's another term I made up for our psychic communications network), unless he realizes I was checking out her front. In which case, he smacks me in the back of the head and asks me something related to what she was saying, just to embarrass me.

"Have you finished with your internal conversation?" Madame Truska asks from where she's leaning against the entrance to her chambers. She looks between concerned and amused "I have been waiting for five minutes"

I blush, barely keeping my eyes away from her cleavage, and rush inside after her. She's never said anything, but I have a feeling she can either read my mind or sense my feelings. I hope it's the latter, otherwise I will never _ever_ be able to face her again.

Madame Truska's chambers look like something I've seen in films about the Middle East. Lots of colorful fabrics hang here and there, silk sheets on the bed, glittery canvases on the walls. There are no mirrors, and I wonder if that was her choice or Larten's, seeing as he has no reflection to begin with.

She is sitting on a cushion on the floor and motions for me to sit across from her. She offers me tea, which I decline, and takes a deep breath, waving her hands as if to bring some scent closer to her.

"So, Darren, what is it that is troubling you so much?"

I hesitate for a moment. I know I came here to ask her about my dream, but I'm afraid she'll dismiss me, like Larten, and this is a woman I don't want to appear foolish to.

"Darren, you can tell me. I will not laugh, I promise"

Again, I wonder whether she can read my mind or sense my emotions. Either way, her eyes are commanding me to speak, so I suck it up and describe my dream so quickly that I'm afraid she might not have understood everything.

"Mmm… I see" she says as she pours herself some tea. She offers me some again, and this time I accept it, because my throat is suddenly dry from remembering my dream. "Well, Darren, I tell you this: it is not a premonition"

I sigh in relief. Coming from her, I believe it. Still, she looks concerned, and I can tell she is choosing her next words carefully.

"It is not a premonition: it is a warning" the way she says it makes my heart stop. I have to put my cup down or I'll spill the tea with my shaking hands. She waits until I'm focused on her again to continue. "You do not need to be a seer to know what is coming, Darren. Steve's thirst for blood will continue to grow unless it is stopped. The Vampaneze are raising him to be their champion, their king. But inside, he is still good"

"_Good_?" I ask incredulously. He's my friend, I know, but last time I saw him he tried to kill me! He tried to make me kill Rebecca or my family! It was like a completely different Steve. I didn't become a Vampire's assistant to save a vampaneze. I left my family, _my life_, to save my best friend. Is Truska saying that _my_ Steve is still in there?

"There is something" Truska began, snapping me out of my own thoughts "known as the immutability of the human soul"

She stood and picked up a bowl full of water and a lit candle, and brought them over to where we were sitting.

"You see Darren, there is a reason why Steve has not become a champion yet. His human soul is waiting for its mate. He still has hope. It is when he_ loses_ hope, that he will no longer be Steve"

I don't know what to say. Soul mate? In order to save Steve I have to find him a_ girlfriend_?

Madame Truska places the lit candle in my hand and motions for me to tilt it over the water.

"Look closely, Darren. If your intention is pure, in the water you shall find your answer"

I take a deep breath and watch the wax as it touches the liquid. As the wax falls, the water starts to spin lightly. I leave the candle on the ground and blink repeatedly. I can see a shape in the water, where the wax solidified as it touched the cold surface. It can't be. I close my eyes again, open them, and see the same shape. I raise my eyes to meet the seer's. She's smirking at me.

I can't believe it. The shape in the water is a snake.


End file.
